Rail anchor stabilizer



Aug. 27, 1940. R p CLARKSQN 2,212,658

RA IL ANCHOR STABILIZER Filed June 25, 1938 INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 27, 1940 p FlQE My invention relates to rail anchor stabilizers and has for its object to provide a detachable piece to engage the rail anchor, after the anchor has been placed on the rail, and be itself anchored to the rail support.

An object of this invention is to restrain the movement of the rail anchor in either direction.

A further object is to make rail anchors effective for modern track conditions.

Still another object is to provide effective means to prevent rail creeping or expansion in either direction and yet permit wave motion of the rail.

It is well known that a rail anchor holds the rail in only one direction and then only when it rests firmly against the side of the rail support. Where that support is a tie, the rail anchor pushes into the tie and constantly wears deeper. Yet thousands of miles of track now are rail anchored and my invention permits the effective retention of these rail anchors in a new rail fastening structure whether or not the anchors are positioned against the ties or removed from them. Thus, without great expense, old track may be modernized. Moreover, ineffective rail anchors may be made more efiective as my invention particularly is designed to increase the grip of the rail anchor on the rail by the skew action resulting from anchoring one end of the rail anchor.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction described in this specification and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the particular embodiment of the invention within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention. I intend no limitation other than those of the claims when fairly interpreted in the light of the full disclosure and the present state of the art.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing which is furnished for illustrative purposes, it is apparent that many modifications in the embodi ment of my invention are possible, of which several are shown by way of example, including a form at present preferred.

In the drawing,

Fig. l is a. sketch illustrative of a preferred form of my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view illustrative of a modified form; Fig. 3 is. a plan View of another application of a stabilizer like that in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional elevation on the line 4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a sketch showing still another application of my preferred form of stabilizer; Fig. 6 is a sketch of my preferred form of stabilizer shown applied in Figs. 1, 3, and 5; Fig. '7 is a sketch of another form of stabilizer; Fig. 8 is a plan view showing the application 5 of the stabilizer of Fig. 7.

Similar reference characters refer to corresponding parts in the several views.

In general a rail 5 is shown seated on a tieplate 2 provided with spike holes, as 3, 3, whereby 10 the tieplate 2 may be secured to a tie 4, as by a rail spike 5 (Fig. 3) A rail anchor t grips the base of the rail l, as is well known in the art, usually extending below the rail base and engaging the edge of the base on the other side. The rail anchor 6 maybe in position against the tie 4 (Fig.

2) or away from the tie, as in Fig, 5, for example.

According tothis invention, I provide a stabilizer, preferably of boiler plate or the like i, la, or lb, provided with a body portion having therethrough a usual spike hole 8 whereby the stabilizer may be spiked to the tie t, either outside of the tieplate 2, or through the spike hole of the tieplate, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. I prefer the shape and dimensions of the stabilizer I to be such that I may contact both the back edge and side edge of the tieplate 2, not only to relieve the spike located in spike hole 9 (not shown) from twisting but also from a portion of its strain in the wood of the tie. T0 thatend, as all tieplates are not of equal size, I may lay the rail anchor engaging portion ill above the rail base (Fig. 1) or below the rail base (Fig. 5), or free of the rail base (Fig. 3). I may, if preferred, lay the entire 3 stabilizer on the rail support above the tieplate (Fig. 2) utilizing the spike hole in the tieplate 2, the spike then serving a double purpose. In this instance the stabilizer may be made of spring material. Preferably, however, to permit the rail anchor engaging portion it to be bent out of the plane of the body portion 8, I provide an indentation or cut I! 3 between the two portions.

Still further to reinforce the anchoring of the stabilizer to the rail support, I may provide at one end a turned down lip l2 (Figs. 7 and 8) and spaced therefrom another portion l3 of sufiicient length so that it may be downwardly bent or hammered over the edge of the rail support, in the case of Fig. 8 the tie l. By providing the portion it various widths of ties may be accommodated.

Preferably a notch or slot is provided, as the slot hi (Fig. 6), in this case with sloping sides so that it may hug both sides of the rail anchor which at the bend is usually of a similar cross section.

It will be apparent that the addition of the stabilizers of my invention to the present track structure will utilize the present rail anchors effectively, leaving the rail free for wave motion, and preventing the rail anchor from moving in either direction. Moreover, by the structure shown, anchoring the rail anchor on one side only, any movement of the rail tendsto tighten the rail anchor grip on the rail because of the skew action of the rail anchor.

What I claim is:

l. The combination with an existing track structure including a rail, a tie, a tieplate spiked to said tie and a rail anchor engaging both edges of the base flange of said rail, of an additional, removable, notched member engaging said rail anchor provided with surfaces at right angles to each other engaging the back and side edges of said tieplate and'spiked to said tie against said tieplate whereby said member is prevented from twisting.

2. A one piece rail anchor stabilizer for application to an existing track structure, said stabilizer comprising a plate of uniform thickness provided with a body portion having a spike opening therethrough and a rail anchor engaging portion at right angles thereto of such nature as to provide edge surfaces to contact both the back edge and the side edge of the tieplate, said rail anchor engaging portion terminating with a notched end edge adapted to engage both sides of a rail anchor, said two portions being joined by a portion of reduced width formed by an indentation or cut in the body portion adjacent to the inner edge of the rail anchor engaging portion of such nature as to permit bending'of said rail anchor portion out of the plane of said body portion to rest on the ,rail base when said body portion lies flat on the tie.

3. A structure as defined in claim in which said plate is L-shaped and said body portion terminates in a turned-down lip of the width of the body portion at the end thereof furthest removed from said rail anchor engaging portion, said lip of such nature that in cooperation with the inner edge surface of said rail anchor engaging portion it serves to fix said stabilizer between the side edge of the tieplate and the opposite side of the supporting tie.

RALPH P. CLARKSON. 

